53-year-old worker dies in New Springville construction accident

Advance photo/Jan Somma-HammelEmergency officials tend to a construction worker after an accident on Rockland and Richmond avenues in New SpringvilleSTATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A Staten Island construction worker was crushed to death by a reversing dump truck driven by his co-worker this afternoon on Richmond Avenue near Rockland Avenue in New Springville.

Jody Reese, 53, of Tottenville, was standing behind the white Mack truck, out of view of either mirror, police said.

When the driver began to back up, Reese was crushed by the rear and then the front tires. Emergency responders worked to revive Reese, before he was taken to Staten Island University Hospital in Ocean Breeze where he was pronounced dead.

Police characterized the event as a tragic accident, and there was no criminality involved.

The truck’s driver remained at the scene, and declined to talk to a reporter, saying, “I’m a little shaken up right now.”

The accident happened feet from the construction site, where workers are getting ready to build a new section of street that will eventually connect Rivington Avenue to Richmond.

Work continued at the site through the afternoon following the accident which happened before 2:30 p.m. Richmond Avenue’s southbound lanes were closed at points during the accident investigation, backing up traffic along the heavily traveled corridor.